As state lawmakers clashed in a heated debate in Tallahassee on whether to arm teachers, a school resource officer accidentally fired a gun at a Pasco County middle school.
Democrats in the Florida House used the breaking news alert during an emotional debate Tuesday as part of their efforts to highlight why they think teachers shouldn’t be allowed to carry guns on campus.
“This program is going to go in, and there are going to be mistakes,” said Rep. Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach. “A gun went off today in Pasco County in a middle school in the cafeteria. Happened today — today while we were doing this bill.”
Jenne wanted to see more training requirements for school employees who carry guns as part of the state’s armed school guardian program.
But the Democrats’ last-ditch effort failed, and the measure that would allow teachers to be armed appears likely to pass before the 2019 session ends Friday. It would allow teachers to voluntarily participate in the guardian program if local school boards agree.
The school resource officer was leaning against a wall when his holstered gun fired, sending a bullet into the wall behind him, according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. No one was injured, officials said.
Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, R-Mount Dora, clarified that the gun was fired by a sworn law enforcement officer — not a member of the school guardian program being discussed by lawmakers.
“The gun that went off today was not by a guardian holding it,” said Sullivan, the bill’s sponsor. “It was by an SRO.”
Supporters said the bill would require at least 144 hours of training for teachers who want to carry a gun on campus, which would be sufficient to ensure student safety.
That didn’t satisfy Rep. Wengay Newton, D-St. Petersburg, who expressed shock at what he was hearing .
“I don’t care who had the gun go off,” he said. “We had kids there. … It was a gun. It was a bullet that you can’t bring back. Listen to what we are saying. This is insane.”
Giffords Law Center, an organization that favors gun control, compiled a list of 60 incidents across the country where teachers, school security officers and others mishandled guns at school.
Republicans voted down one Democratic amendment after another in a floor debate that lasted more than four hours Tuesday and boiled over with emotion at times. A final vote will be required before the session ends Friday.
Democrats wanted more training on firearms safety, annual psychological evaluations for teachers carrying guns, notification requirements for teachers taking mood-altering drugs, mandatory storage lock boxes for firearms and more flexibility for parents to opt their school out of the program.
At one point, Rep. Cindy Polo, D-Miramar — her voice cracking in anger — urged people to file and run against GOP representatives blocking the amendments.
“This is shameful,” she said.
Sullivan questioned why the amendments were filed at the last minute instead of being brought to her attention earlier in the process.
“Some of these amendments, if we were to adopt, are going to kill the bill,” she said. “You know what? Our students deserve better. I get there is opposition to the guardian program, but there is a lot of other good stuff in this bill. … We need this for our students.”
The bill features other items aimed at school safety, including greater reporting of school safety incidents, a standardized risk assessment process for dangerous students, and new guidelines on school-based mental health.
Those provisions have bipartisan support.
sswisher@sunsentinel.com, 561-243-6634 or @SkylerSwisher